Turn a very simple sponge cake recipe into 12 delicious little Strawberry Butterfly Cakes. Ideal for picnics in the park, afternoon tea in the garden or an addition to a summer wedding.
I adapted this recipe for my Vanilla Loaf cake to make 12 adorable Strawberry Butterfly Cakes. If you want to add sprinkles, feel free to do so, but I think keeping it simple is best. Let the strawberries, or blueberries, take centre stage.
Make Strawberry Butterfly Cakes Step by Step
Preheat the oven to 180 deg Fan assisted. Place 12 paper bun cases in a 12 cup muffin tin
Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go along.
Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour in between each one to help prevent curdling. Add the Vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Add the remaining flour and mix until well combined.
Using an ice cream scoop, add the cake batter evenly into each bun case, making sure that you only fill to ¾ or they will overflow. There is enough cake mixture for 12 Butterfly Buns.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 mins or until baked and slightly golden in colour, testing the centre of a couple of the cakes with a skewer until it comes out clean.
Leave to cool a little before placing the Fairy Cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make Vanilla Buttercream
Using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar together until light and fluffy to a thick piping consistency. Add the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with your favourite rosette nozzle.
Scoop out the centre of each bun and slice in half, fill with a swirl of buttercream, top with a sliced fresh strawberry and place a slice of each cutout sponge to the sides of the strawberry to form butterfly wings.
Decorate with whatever berries you can get. Blueberries, Strawberries of Raspberries.
Tips and Faq's for Making Butterfly Buns
- Alternative Fruits - You could use other fresh berries such as Raspberries and Blueberries
- Alternative to Buttercream - Mascarpone whipped with a little icing sugar. Or freshly whipped cream using whipping cream.
- Alternative toppings - Leave out the fruit and serve them as plain vanilla butterfly buns or decorate with colourful sprinkles
If using buttercream they will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container. But because of the fresh berries, they are best kept in the fridge, especially in warm weather.
Because of the butter content in the cake mixture, sponge cakes will become firm when kept in the fridge. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Other Summer Cake Recipes using fresh berries that you may like to try.
- Vanilla Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Frosting and Strawberries
- Lemon Glazed Blueberry Scones
- Vanilla Bundt Cake with a Blueberry Sauce
Keen to Bake More?
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Strawberry Butterfly Cakes
Equipment
- Paper Bun cakes
- Muffin Tin
Ingredients - Imperial /oz are approx weights which are calculated by a 3rd party app
- 170 g Butter Room temperature
- 170 g caster sugar or Granulated sugar
- 3 eggs medium size
- 170 g Self Raising Flour
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Topping
- 150 g Butter at room temperature
- 300 g Icing sugar sieved
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 fresh Strawberries cleaned and sliced in half lengthways
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 deg Fan assisted. Place 12 paper bun cases in a 12 cup muffin tin
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go along.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour in between each one to help prevent curdling. Add the Vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining flour and mix until well combined.
- Pour the cake batter evenly into each bun cake, making sure that you only fill to ¾ or they will overflow. Using an icecream scoops make the job easier.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 mins or until baked and slightly golden in colour, testing the centre of a couple of the cakes with a skewer until it comes out clean.
- Leave to cool a little before placing the little sponge Cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream Topping.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar together until light and fluffy to a thick piping or spreadable consistency.
- Add the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with your favourite rosette nozzle. Scoop out the centre of each bun and slice in half. Fill with a swirl of buttercream, top with a sliced fresh strawberry and place a slice of each cut out sponge to the sides of the strawberry to form butterfly wings.
Notes
TIPS AND FAQ’S FOR MAKING BUTTERFLY BUNS
- Alternative Fruits – You could use other fresh berries such as Raspberries and Blueberries
- Alternative to Buttercream – Mascarpone whipped with a little icing sugar. Or freshly whipped cream using whipping cream.
- Alternative toppings – Leave out the fruit and serve them as plain vanilla butterfly buns or decorate with colourful sprinkles
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